More Fish, More Fruit, Less Colon Cancer

Piling your plate with fish and fruit and skipping soft drinks could greatly reduce your chances of developing colon cancer, according to findings reported at this year’s World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Scientists gathered dietary data from 808 healthy people between the ages of 40 and 70 who were scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer. Overall, people whose diets incorporated fewer components of a Mediterranean-style eating plan had a higher incidence of advanced precancerous lesions in the colon. However, three dietary behaviours were linked with a nearly 30% drop in the incidence rate: high intake of fruit, high intake of fish, and scant consumption of soda pop. Lots of both fish and fruit cut the incidence rate in half, and people who made all three behaviours part of their diet did even better: the incidence rate dropped 86%.